Widespread Panic performed its last show of 2023 as well as the first set of 2024 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA on Sunday night/Monday morning. True to tradition, this year’s finale opened with an acoustic set tailed by two electric sets more attuned to a typical Panic show. The New Year’s spectacle featured an early double acoustic dose of Warren Zevon and a newish original which returned for the fifth time ever. After midnight, the setlist descended into primal, punk rock madness with a bustout and debut cover of The Who.
The six-piece band walked onstage and John Bell pulled up a chair—an image reminiscent of late founding guitarist Michael Houser impossible to ignore—and acknowledged the patiently waiting crowd, “Welcome to the end of the year, new beginnings, most importantly welcome to right now”. JB strummed the opening melody to “Driving Song” and the rabid crowd decided that they were on their best behavior for as long as possible and joined the frontman throughout the first verse, forgoing harmony and pitch for wild excitement and enthusiasm. With JB seated on acoustic guitar, nostalgia hit hard for those familiar with the video of JB and Mikey performing the song on John Keane’s front porch with acoustic guitars in 2001.
After an intense build-up and breakdown, WSP left the safety of the harbor to set sail into a pristine rendition of “Fishing”. Like water lapping in the afterglow of a sunset, those aboard enjoyed the last glimmers of light before returning to shore and back into the second half of “Driving Song” amid the scintillating frequencies of Sunny Ortiz’s wind chimes.
Self-proclaimed BBQ connoisseur JB donned his guitar slide to slather his special sauce all over “Ribs And Whiskey” while Dave Schools, JoJo Hermann, and Jimmy Herring kept the smoker’s wood chips lit and filled plate after plate of goodness to be enjoyed by all.
Breaking the silence, JB introduced the next song with “This is a new song…. I mean we’ve played it before. It’s not brand new, but as long as we’ve been around, it’s pretty… pretty new” before executing a flawless “We Walk Each Other Home” for only the fifth time ever. Giving no rest for the tear ducts, WSP followed up with a moving cover of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” for only the third time since its poignant debut paying tribute to fallen friend, Bill Bass, at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre closer earlier this year.
Remaining in Zevon’s catalog and adding to the tunes that WSP covers, JB and Schools exchanged vocals on the debut of “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”. JoJo stayed on organ to pioneer the set-closing cover of Jerry Joseph and Glenn Esparza’s “Climb to Safety”.
Back onstage for the last set of the year, WSP ditched the acoustics but kept it chill for an opening combination of classic originals “Space Wrangler” and “Walkin’ (For Your Love)”. Dave Schools commanded the vanguard as he casually dropped into Vic Chesnutt’s “Blight”. Opting out of his traditional “words of wisdom” rap, Schools focused instead on exceptionally haunting vocals.
The music faded out and was replaced by the cheers of the audience, however, WSP curtailed the crowd noise with a raucous “All Time Low”. The song structure barreled on until Jimmy Herring redirected the flow of the piranha-infested river to new lands. JoJo’s keys carried the music through a barebones transition until Duane Trucks’ rolling drums announced the arrival of delta bluesman Robert Johnson’s “Stop Breaking Down Blues”. JB threw in a quick “Gimme back my wig” before placing the keys to the kingdom in the trusted hands of Jimmy Herring for a screeching solo. Somewhere in the void, the devilish bluesman’s spirit listened in with an appreciative smirk as Herring brought the song to the 21st century and tested his equipment’s high-voltage output.
After a brief pause gave the audience—and Herring’s amp—a chance to cool off, the opening notes of New Riders of the Purple Sage‘s “Dirty Business” washed over the appreciative audience like a tidal wave of relief. The crowd even bit their tongues and held off their usual lewd behavior until JB freed them from all doubt by giving them the bidness around JoJo’s swirling organ sustains (“Marshall came to town”) for the first time since last year’s Napa run.
Sharing a theme, Panic dished out a hard-hitting take on “Hope in a Hopeless World” before segueing into a bombastic “Cease Fire”. HIAHW was written by Phil Roy and Bob Thiele Jr. in 1993 but popularized by Roebuck “Pops” Staples in ’94. One more sweeping transition led WSP back into its own repertoire for “I’m Not Alone” before closing out the final set of 2023 with the rocking combo-wombo of “Protein Drink / Sewing Machine”.
Minutes before midnight, WSP’s road manager, Steve Lopez, came out and thanked the venue for hosting this year’s celebration. After a four-year hiatus—2020 was canceled during the COVID-19 shutdown, 2021 was rescheduled for August 2022, and last NYE was at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville—the midnight ball was counted down and dropped amid a sea of balloons, confetti, hugs, and kisses. Church bells rang over the house PA before Panic returned to what it does best: sheer destruction.
The infernal instrumental “Disco” blazed into 2024 before monster slugfests followed. WSP’s revamped interpretation of Winston Riley’s reggae tune “Arleen”, an undisputed fan-favorite, took flight into a head-bobbin’, feet-wigglin’ “Pigeons”. JB wished the audience “Happy New Year” before debuting The Who’s “My Generation”. Schools and JoJo took the backing vocals as the band inched boldly closer to the fringe of chaos.
Sure enough, WSP took the plunge into punk rock madness by sliding into Ramones‘ “I Wanna Be Sedated” for only the fifth time in the band’s long and storied history. The song hadn’t been seen since 2020’s five-night Beacon Theatre run days before the world shutdown.
“Blue Indian” returned the setlist to the semi-normal, an ethereal stabilization for those on the verge of derailing. The trend toward originals would continue for the rest of the set as “Saint Ex” soared until crash landing into JoJo’s excavation site of “Big Wooly Mammoth”.
Pitted against nothin’ but piano keys, prehistoric animal bones, and the possibility of mass extinction, the safety of the human race deemed it irresponsible to stay on these grounds too long. For the last segue of the set and evening, WSP shifted gears for a bouncing “Love Tractor” to finish off the third set of the night and the first set of 2024 with pure gas.
Still unfinished, Widespread Panic ambled back onstage as John Bell led the band through a blessing in the form of “May Your Glass Be Filled”. For the last song of the weekend, Panic paid tribute to their fallen cosmic mentor, Col. Bruce Hampton, by performing one of his staples, Skip James‘ “I’m So Glad”.
Honoring, celebrating, and remembering the love and vision of not only a man who gave his final performance on this stage, but all the musicians who inspired this band to continue to do what it does. And we say Thank-ee, Sai, and wish you long days and pleasant nights in the year to come. (“May you have twice the number” is the correct response.)
Over the horizon of 2024, the next stops for Widespread Panic are in St. Louis, MO (1/18–1/20) Chicago, IL on the anniversary of the Valentine’s Day Massacre (2/15–2/17), St. Augustine, FL (3/22–3/24), Panic en la Playa Doce in Mexico (4/14–4/18), and last but not least, Memphis, TN (5/24-–5/25). For a full breakdown of the dates or to buy tickets, click here.
God bless you and your families with happiness and health. May our community continue to grow individually and collectively. Keep pushing to be the best version of yourself and hold others around you to do the same. The revolution needs to begin within oneself. See you on the other side.
Widespread Panic – “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” (Warren Zevon) – 12/31/23
[Video: MrTopDogger]
Widespread Panic – Fox Theatre – Atlanta, GA – 12/31/23 – Full Audio
Setlist: Widespread Panic | Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA | 12/31/23
Set One: Driving Song > Fishing > Driving Song, Ribs and Whiskey, We Walk Each Other Home, Keep Me In Your Heart (Warren Zevon), I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Warren Zevon), Climb To Safety (Jerry Joseph, Glenn Esparza) (47 mins)
Set Two: Space Wrangler, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Blight (Vic Chesnutt), All Time Low > Jam > Stop Breakin’ Down Blues (Robert Johnson), Dirty Business (New Riders Of The Purple Sage), Hope In A Hopeless World (Phil Roy, Bob Thiele Jr.) > Cease Fire > I’m Not Alone, Protein Drink / Sewing Machine (90 mins)
Set 3 Disco > Arleen > Pigeons, My Generation (The Who) > I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones), Blue Indian, Saint Ex, Big Wooly Mammoth > Love Tractor (58 mins)
Encore: May Your Glass Be Filled, I’m So Glad (Skip James) (15 mins)
Notes
– FTP ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ (Warren Zevon)
– LTP ‘Dirty Business’ 8/26/22 Napa (58 shows)
– FTP ‘My Generation’ (The Who)
– LTP ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ 3/02/20 New York (116 shows)
– JB seated & acoustic first set